Closed.

She went up the winding path into the pass at the top of the mountain. The wind picked up as the day drew on. It was dusk now and the light was getting dimmer.

Suddenly, the sun was snuffed out like a candle. It could not have set so fast. A hissing sound begun to echo around the rocks and overhead, a larger moon than usual seemed to rise over the horizon.

- Stop to look.
- Read your sword.
- Ignore it.
 
Dhea looked at the sky, before lifting her silver blade and looking it over. Something told her that she should do this. A deep, ancient instinct told her to read the blade in the eerie moonlight.
 
The new, larger moon rose higher. Then the round shape uncoiled itself. The shimmering body of the Moon Serpent was revealed, hovering in the air above Dhea! Its wide fangs were open and it was coming for her. She did not know its weakness still.

2w7icxv.jpg

- Attack.
- Run for it.
- Cast a spell.
 
Dhea took a step back, her eyes wide and her face pale. She shook her head and ran. Her legs ached and her chest burned, but she just ran. She wouldn’t stop. Not until the earth swallowed her or the sun blazed in the sky again.
Or until her body gave out.
 
She had two ways to run off to. One led to the right, over a bridge. Though the bridge was partially collapsed. The other led down the mountain from where she came from.

- Run to the bridge.
- Run down.
 
Dhea didn’t even think as she ran to the bridge. She wasn’t thinking. She was just feeling the fear scorching her head and heart. She just felt the unyielding terror squeezing her ribs, tightening its bony grip.
 
She approached stonework at the edge to the right. It looked like the remains of a large bridge or an aqueduct. Whatever it was, it was large and beautiful once. Somewhere beyond to the east was the Forest of Snatta. The Serpent did not chase her. To the west, Dhea could see a small cloud of smoke rising over the plains on the same spot where the Elven camp was. They haven't moved, or were still going in circles.

- Jump down.
- Cast a spell.
- Go down the mountain.
- Use the Beacon.
 
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Dhea fished out the Beacon, just trying her damndest to avoid the Elven camp. And maybe it would help her against the Serpent. At least, to get away from it.
 
The Beacon glowed and the scenery around her changed. The night turned to day again, the sun visible, but still setting on the horizon. The Moon Serpent was not there behind her any longer. The whole mountain top was covered in grass. In front of her stretched the enormous bridge with its dozen arches, spanning over the valley. Underneath the bridge, the Forest remained the same. She would be able to cross over the bridge now, or climb down the side of it, if she wanted to go to the Forest. However, she had to hurry, as the spell would not last long.

- Go down the side of the bridge.
- Go across the bridge.
 
Dhea didn’t hesitate again as she climbed down the side of the bridge, making sure to avoid falling and breaking her neck. Which would be a rather embarrassing way to go.
 
She grasped the gripweed that wrapped around the bridge and over the handholds. It seemed like someone had carved in some sort of stairs into the side of the bridge, making it for a very safe way to climb down. Only a little bit tired, Dhea dropped down onto the second level of the bridge. It was the middle floor, with the same distance to go in order to place her feet on the earth of the Forest.

The air shimmered around her again, marking the end of her spell. However, the place she was at did not disappear. That part of the bridge still held on, although the way forward was collapsed and there was now only one way for her to go - down. There were weeds and bushes growing throughout the middle part of the bridge, it was like a mini jungle between the masonry.

Suddenly, there was a rustle in the bushes. It was quite possible that there was a pair of eyes staring at her from them.

- Call out.
- Throw the metal disc in the bushes.
- Attack the bushes.
- Cast a spell.
 
Dhea drew her bow and pointed an arrow at the eyes. Her face was stoic, but flushed and her words were a little breathless. She still felt that she sounded dangerous when she spoke.
“Get out from there. Now.”
 
A shadow slinked out from the bushes, its movements precise and unhurried.

"Now, that is a face I have not forgotten." Rhain purred, a smirk on his face. "What are you planning with that arrow?"

- Answer.
 
“Oh...you...”
Dhea put away her bow and slipped the arrow into the quiver.
“I must admit, I’m glad to see your smug face again.”
She crossed her arms over her chest, lips creeping up in a smile.
“Miss me?”
 
"It has been a long time." Rhain said. His smirk disappeared and his eyes turned serious. He looked different somehow, changed. Also it had been only two days since they saw each other. He stood away from Dhea, not approaching her, and his eyes tracked her movements warily.

- "How did you get here?"
- "Where are you going?"
- "Do you know of the Seven Serpents?"
 
“How did you get here?”
Dhea had noticed his wariness and how changed he was. She frowned, before taking a step forward. She was concerned for her friend.
 
His answer was very detailed. "I leapt across the Baddu-Bak gorge. I climbed the Baddu-Bak ridge and used my climbing hooks to descend into the trees. I killed seven Snattacats before I found this bridge for shelter." His hands clenched into fists. "This land is unhealthy. It is driving me crazy with each passing day. I cannot spent another week in here." He said, looking at the ground at his feet.

- "Where are you going?"
- "It's been only 2 days."
 
“It’s been only two days, Rhain.”
Dhea finally moved close enough to touch him, her fingers just barely brushing against his hand. Her face was concerned, soft. She had just begun to care for this rogue and now more than ever, she started feeling something more than her grief and endless anger.
 
Rhain unsheathed his daggers as soon as she touched him, as if on reflex. He was on edge and twitchy, it was apparent. He turned toward her, though his weapons were lowered and as if seeing her for the first time, his eyes widened.

"It's been a week, Analander. What are you talking about?" He shook his head, putting the knives back and reaching up to rub at his temples. "Sorry. This place is making me anxious. And it gets worse the more time you spend between the gates of Khare and Mampang."

- Ask him about his destination.
- Ask him about the Serpents.
 
Dhea was so worried about him, about what was going on.
“Where are you headed?”
She needed to keep him in the here and now before she asked about the Serpents....but something finally struck her.
“Rhain, did you run into any of the Serpents?”
 
"I am going to High Xamen. I was sent on this mission many months ago." He sighed. Dhea's other question made him look at her again. "The Serpents? I know one thing. An Elf I killed told me that the Time Serpent cannot be defeated." He laughed, coarse and hollow. "I know, it doesn't help you much." He pauses for a moment, before asking. "How did you come here?"

- "By using the Beacon."
- "By using your wit and cunning."
- "By sheer luck."
 
“I’m going to be honest, sheer bloody luck and...”
Dhea held up the Beacon and shook her head.
“This.”
The way she held it was gingerly, as if she was scared of breaking it. In a way she was, because who knew what would happen if the crystal was broken. Likely chaos.
 
"Sorcery?" Rhain asked, but then nodded as if answering his own question. "That is not smart. You have used sorcery in the lands devastated by the Archmage. He will sense it. He must have sent the Birdmen to hunt you already. And you still have the Serpents to deal with." He shook his head in disapproval. "You are reckless, Analander. Foolish."

The sun had set behind the peaks and the valley was dark. The middle of the bridge was elevated and would be a good place to make camp for the night.

- Make camp there.
- Continue down the bridge.
- Optional: Talk to Rhain further.
 
Dhea gripped the Beacon, before tucking it away again. She’d known it was stupid, but it was one of the few ways she’d known how to survive. She had been thrown headlong into this place, without knowing which way was up. But rather than getting angry, Dhea stepped even closer, her voice soft.
“Call me by my name.”

Her fingers reached up and hovered near his cheek. There was something about him that made her anxious. Maybe because he was so jumpy.
“Focus on me, Rhain. On how I make you feel. You need to plant yourself here. Not in the Baklands, not in the danger and horror. Plant yourself here and now.”

She touched his cheek gently, slowly enough to not worry him.
“With me...”
 
Rhain shook his head as if trying to deny something, but he did not recoil underneath her touch.

"It's dangerous to stay near you for too long. Everyone and everything is hunting you now." He said, avoiding her eyes. "I should go." But he did not move.

- Talk to him.
- Hug him.
- Kiss him.
 
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